Fans were thrilled when Chris Brown and Rihanna got together. But when Chris was arrested and Rihanna went to the hospital, the public was horrified.
It's been ages since Chris Brown and Rihanna were an item, but there's at least one person who hasn't forgotten about the other parts of their story: Chris' mom, Joyce Hawkins.
Though fans are divided between condemning Chris' violent behavior toward Rihanna back in 2019 and lamenting the fact that the couple could've been another celeb power pairing, Chris' mom is distinctly vocal about her feelings.
For one thing, it's clear that Joyce was familiar with Rihanna while the singer was dating Joyce's son back in 2007. The two were together until 2009 when the domestic violence incident occurred.
But although they broke up, Rihanna and Chris would reconcile around 2013. At the same time, he said he was in love with both Rihanna and Karreuche Tran, whom he dated between 2011 and 2012.
It's clear who mama Hawkins favored, though. In a 2009 interview with Today, Chris' mom explained that she was shocked by Chris' behavior and that she missed Rihanna post-breakup.
Joyce elaborated that she loved RiRi, and that her son's girlfriend had spent the last two Christmases with Chris and his family. In fact, Hawkins even explained that Rihanna is "like a daughter" and that she "became family."
At the same time, Joyce aimed to defend Chris by saying that she'd never seen anything violent from him in the past. It seemed like Joyce hoped Rihanna might feel the same way, forgive her boy, and reconcile with him.
True, it did happen a few years later, though Chris and Rihanna tried to keep their relationship low-profile at that point. The word got out, though, and their second breakup was also publicized just as much as the first.
But there was plenty of buzz about Chris' mom's reaction to that breakup, too. Hollywood Life later suggested that Joyce was devastated that Chris let the love of his life slip away again. She thought that no other woman could hold a candle to Rihanna for Chris, suggested the publication, and was holding out for a second reconciliation.
It seems like Brown was hoping for that too, at least, in between his relationships with the women who would come after Rihanna. Fans got to hear more about his side of past incidents in his recent documentary, too, though of course, there's nothing that can erase the past.
Multiple sources suggest that Rihanna no longer speaks to Chris, especially when he's in a relationship. Fortunately, Chris does seem to be doing better these days, and his two kids are keeping both him and grandma Joyce very busy.